title: Mood disorders and the outcome of suicidal thoughts and attempts.
abstract: Suicidal ideation and attempts are common reasons for visits to the emergency department and critical care hospitalizations and a common public health problem. Most patients who make a suicide attempt have a psychiatric disorder, most frequently a mood, psychotic, substance use, or personality disorder. Patients who are at high risk of another attempt and cannot be transferred promptly to a psychiatric service should be managed jointly by the psychiatric and critical care teams with an emphasis on protection of the patient, identification of substance intoxication and withdrawal, making the environment safe, and instituting treatment of the psychiatric disorder. Antidepressants reduce suicide risk but their slow onset of action may make electroconvulsive therapy a desirable alternative for severely depressed patients. Parenteral treatment is possible with benzodiazepines and antipsychotic drugs but not antidepressants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14215-3098, USA. dubovsky@buffalo.edu
authors.forename: Steven L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Dubovsky
authors.forename: Amelia N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Dubovsky
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000341:Affective Disorders, Psychotic / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002648:Child; D003422:Critical Care / Q000379:methods*; D004597:Electroshock; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents